A portion of the infamous “Ring of Fire” along the West Coast proved to be troublesome once again in U.S. history. More than 80 years ago today, southern California would suffer from one of the most devastating earthquakes in its history.

The earthquake that struck Long Beach, Calif., on March 10, 1933 sent ripples across the state. This would lead to apocalyptic scenes as cities such as Los Angeles and Huntington Beach, Calif., were at the mercy of one of Mother Nature’s deadliest disasters. California is no stranger to earthquakes, but nothing could have prepared them for the events that played out that day. 

The source of this earthquake stems from the Newport-Inglewood Fault, which is located between Culver City and Newport, Calif. When this fault ruptured by way of a strike-slip motion, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake was unleashed at around 6 p.m. PST.

The fallout from this massive earthquake led to the deaths of 120 people, mostly due to falling debris, with more than 500 injured. The death toll likely would have been much higher if the earthquake happened a few hours before 6 p.m. PST when schools were still in session. Damages were estimated to be nearly $50 million, which in today’s currency is about $1 billion. Residential homes, businesses and more than 200 schools were damaged or destroyed.

Speaking of schools, they were the hardest hit by the earthquake. Several school buildings were permanently closed because they were either deemed unsafe for students to return or the damaged school buildings were not up to par with the earthquake safety regulations at the time. However, the Field Act of 1933 was passed into law later that year and it required school buildings to have reinforced masonry so they were earthquake-resistant. 

This earthquake was also the catalyst for much-needed disaster relief in California. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was established to help allocate government loans to rebuild the structures that were impacted by the 1933 earthquake. This would pave the way for the creation of naval yards and improved infrastructure in California which helped create jobs and stimulate the economy. 

Source(s): California Geological Survey (CGS), USGS, wikipedia.org

Story Image: View of John Muir School, showing damage from the March 10, 1933 Long Beach earthquake. (W.L.Huber/USGS/Wikimedia Commons)